The Codes of Biology & Your Leadership

Why Your Employee is Your Employee??

Probably the answer is "They Feel Safe"

The world around us is filled with danger. Filled with things trying to make our lives miserable. It's nothing personal; it's just the way it is. At any time and from anywhere, there is any number of forces that, without conscience, are working to hinder our success or even kill us.

If we recall those days, even now when we have been to any adventure program, we used to make a circle of fire which gives us safety from the danger outside. 

This is exactly how the organization works, the dangers like Recession, New Technology, Competitors, Price wars, Govt. Policies, etc. At all times, these forces work to hinder growth and profitability. These dangers are a constant. We have no control over them, they are never going to go away and that will never change. That's just the way it is.

However, these are all external threats besides those we have few internal dangers as well, like Lay Offs, Politics, Stress, Humiliation, etc…

Nevertheless, Good leadership can always control Internal Danger. And the way to do that is by giving people a sense of belonging. By offering them a strong culture based on a clear set of human values and beliefs. By giving them the power to make decisions. By offering trust and empathy. By creating a Circle of Safety.

Remarkably, by creating a Circle of Safety around the people in the organization, leadership reduces the threats people feel inside the group which frees them up to focus more time and energy to protect the organization from the constant dangers outside and seize the big opportunities. Without a Circle of Safety, people are forced to spend too much time and energy protecting themselves from each other.

Leaders want to feel safe too. No matter what place we occupy in the

pecking order, every single one of us wants to feel like we are valued by the others in the group. If we are having a bad day at work and our performance is suffering, instead of yelling at us, we wish our bosses would ask us, "Are you okay?" And likewise, we as members of the Circle have a responsibility to our leaders—that's what makes us valuable to them, not our numbers. So, when our boss comes down hard on us and we don't know the reason, it is equally our responsibility to express concern for their well-being. That's how the Circle of Safety stays strong.

Whether you're in a leadership role or not, the question is, how safe

Do you feel where you work?

I often visited many companies, most of the time used to discuss Technical subjects as well apart from Business with the CEOs & his representatives. Once with a very renowned Organization, I asked what's the Plan, especially about your people, who are the leaders you have today & tomorrow. He called a couple of Senior Guy & introduced them as the Present leaders of his organization & asked me to discuss with them.

They are the leaders from the early 90s, their way of leading the people is different from what we are looking for today. If you ask them what your priority is, they say "Production". Probably they are right because they belong to the 90s.

All these concepts are outdated now if you ask any CEO what's your priority he probably says "My Customer" really……… how many times you met with your customer in the past 15 years. Probably None…….

People always forgot that those times are different, at that time the Organizations don't have those dangers from outside. Probably there is no need for any Safety Measures / Circle for those threats.

Today is no longer a peaceful time which we spent, things have changed drastically. Imagine if an Employee leaves a Company or Lay off, how much havoc it can create inside the company. Not only that, it can create Havoc in the External world. The Institution the person belongs to, the Group That person is belonging to the Social Media everyone will be alert about their Organizational Safety.

What about the Trust & Co-Operation of that organization goes……?

The quickest way to destroy the trust & faith in the Organization overnight is a Single Layoff. The news spread like a Bonfire & the Organization's Image destroys.

Even you can forget of the people who left the job, what about the people who are still in the Job…... Scary? Trauma

A guy was thrown from his company-provided residence at 10 pm, because his boss wants to put a new guy there, which was again against the company policy. As because the Guy was thrown was an Employee of the company but the second guy was........Nepotism

Ever Imagined the Image of the company, in the next day morning.

So, things have changed, now it's people concentric.

If I ask anyone about the safety of the people, the CFO will jump in & explain, I spend lots of money on safety but no one is following the safety rules. The plant manager jumps in & adds, people are used to this practice they never thought of the safety of their own. We have a Safety Committee they are doing nothing…. all those junk.

There are accidents, almost every alternate day be it minor or major. If we consider near misses, it was flooded every day. I requested my colleague, to analyze the situation, she came up with an old kind of analysis which says PPE's, Awareness, etc. If we compare the same situation with other similar companies, we found the rate of accidents is zero, despite the same kind of PPE's & other justifications.

Things are alarming. After reading articles, Discussing with Medical Practitioner I concluded that there are 2 types of safety works in Human life,

Physical Safety

Psychological Safety

Physical safety can be seen, observed. Remedies are within us but Psychological safety, The Doctors called it a "Mistry".

It was also explained by Simon Sinek in his book "Leaders Eat Last" in a different way. However, things are identical. Many a time the Physical Harm is causing because of Psychological Problems. If you are psychologically not healthy, there are chances of a physical incident in your life.

How this affects your business, what is the "CODES" of Biology?

C – Cortisol

O – Oxytocin

D – Dopamine

E – Endorphins

S – Serotonin

These are all chemicals/hormones responsible for certain behavior in the human Nerves system which reflects in Human Behavior. These hormones have got several effects on the human body however we will discuss only those related to business. Although this knowledge is nothing to do with Leadership but the Cause & effect of this chemical is important for every leader to understand.

Cortisol - Sustained stress can lead to high levels of circulating cortisol, which can create an allostatic load. An allostatic load can lead to various physical modifications in the body's regulatory networks. Changed patterns of serum cortisol levels have been observed in connection with abnormal ACTH levels, mood disorders such as major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, psychological stress, and physiological stressors such as hypoglycemia,       illness, fever, trauma surgery, fear, pain, physical exertion, or temperature extremes. Cortisol levels may also differ for individuals with autism or Asperger's syndrome. Also, significant individual variation is seen, although a given person tends to have consistent rhythms.

Oxytocin - Oxytocin can increase positive attitudes, such as bonding, toward individuals with similar characteristics, who then become classified as "in-group" members, whereas individuals who are dissimilar become classified as "out-group" members. One study that examined race and empathy found that participants receiving nasally administered oxytocin had stronger reactions to pictures of in-group members making pained faces than two pictures of out-group members with the same expression. This shows that oxytocin may be implicated in our ability to empathize with individuals of different races and could potentially translate into a willingness to help individuals in pain or stressful situations. Moreover, individuals of one race may be more inclined to help individuals of the same race than individuals of another race when they are experiencing pain. These examples show the tendency to act in ways that benefit people with which one feels is part of their social group, or in-group. Oxytocin is not only correlated with the preferences of individuals to associate with members of their own group, but it is also evident during conflicts between members of different groups. During the conflict, individuals receiving nasally administered oxytocin demonstrate more frequent defense-motivated responses toward in-group members than out-group members. Further, oxytocin was correlated with participant desire to protect vulnerable in-group members, despite that individual's attachment to the conflict. Similarly, it has been demonstrated that when oxytocin is administered, individuals alter their subjective preferences to align with in-group ideals over out-group ideals. These studies demonstrate that oxytocin is associated with intergroup dynamics. Further, oxytocin influences the responses of individuals in a particular group to those of another group. The in-group bias is evident in smaller groups; however, it can also be extended to groups as large as one's entire country leading toward a tendency of strong national zeal. A study done in the Netherlands showed that oxytocin increased the in-group favoritism of their nation while decreasing the acceptance of members of other ethnicities and foreigners. People also show more affection for their country's flag while remaining indifferent to other cultural objects when exposed to oxytocin. It has thus been hypothesized that this hormone may be a factor in xenophobic tendencies secondary to this effect. Thus, oxytocin appears to affect individuals at an international level where the in-group becomes a specific "home" country and the out-group grows to include all other countries.

Dopamine - In popular culture and media dopamine is often seen as the main chemical of pleasure, but the current opinion in pharmacology is that dopamine instead mediates incentive salience which signals the value of a given reward to the organism and motivating action required for attainment. In other words, dopamine appears to mediate desire and motivation more than pleasure. Dopamine also affects your emotions, movements, and your sensations of pleasure and pain.

Endorphins - Improved self-esteem is a key psychological benefit of regular physical activity. When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins interact with the receptors in your brain that reduce your perception of pain.

Endorphins also trigger a positive feeling in the body, similar to that of morphine. For example, the feeling that follows a run or workout is often described as "euphoric." That feeling, known as a "runner's high," can be accompanied by a positive and energizing outlook on life.

Endorphins act as analgesics, which means they diminish the perception of pain. They also act as sedatives. They are manufactured in your brain, spinal cord, and many other parts of your body and are released in response to brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. The neuron receptors endorphins bind to are the same ones that bind some pain medicines. However, unlike with morphine, the activation of these receptors by the body's endorphins does not lead to addiction or dependence.

Regular exercise has been proven to:

Reduce stress

Ward off anxiety and feelings of depression

Boost self-esteem

Improve sleep

Serotonin - Serotonin is a chemical that has a wide variety of functions in the human body. It is sometimes called the happy chemical because it contributes to wellbeing, happiness, pride. It appears to play a key role in maintaining mood balance. Low serotonin levels have been linked to depression.

All these codes are responsible for the people's behavior, created by the leaders, the environment of the Organization.

Let us understand the implications of the CODES.

There is a commendable Speech by Less Brown known as "You Got to be Hungry" & he explains a nice story about a person who was looking for a job. Now the question is why people are passionate about things when they are Hungry. If you are hungry & someone offered you food which probably you don't like still you love to eat. And when you are done, then you feel relaxed & proud.

Two chemicals- Endorphins and Dopamine are the reason that we are

driven to hunt, gather and achieve. They make us feel good when we find something we're looking for, build something we need, or accomplish our goals. Which ultimately Builds confidence amongst us.

Now when you had a fresher join your organization allow him to execute some very easy & small projects, so that he can accomplish the project & give him some reward. Endorphins & Dopamine will drive him to achieve more. If I am not wrong, achieving could become a passion for that person, then the toughest thing will become easier.

Stephen Colbert, political satirist and a host of The Colbert Report,

commented during an interview on the importance of laughter ten times. "You can't laugh and be afraid at the same time," he said. And he'd be right. Laughing releases endorphins. In some organizations people used to do some sort of exercise just before they start, sometimes they dance, sometimes they laugh. Few organizations keep Recreation Rooms for workouts / Games, etc. The leaders of the 70s & 80s are dead against these concepts, whereas these things are scientifically proved. Releasing Endorphins will allow you to mask the pain. It helps you to keep moving despite your pain. Imagine few situations when in earlier era People used to hunt for their survival & run behind the animal's miles after miles. Postmen run Village after Village to deliver the letter, Athletes, Sports Persons. How they can push them against their pain……it's nothing but the Endorphins.

If as a leader you could be the agent for others to release the Endorphins, it will help the company to grow, not others. And that's your job.

Similarly, all other chemicals of CODES are responsible for the best thing of a person, as a leader you need to understand how to release those chemicals. Maybe it's tough, but Empathy should not be a problem.

A smiling "Good Morning" from you can make your day good.

Learn Empathy--Empathy--Empathy

Just put your hands on his back & see the Miracle

A Chapter from My book Published in Bangladesh: " The Man With The Magic Wand"